New York City leaders propose turning some fire hydrants into drinking fountains
NEW YORK -- Turning some New York City fire hydrants into drinking water fountains is now on the table at City Hall.
New Yorkers in sprinkler spray from hydrants -- it is a summer rite of passage. But how about drinking out of them?
"Why not?" say some city leaders pushing for water fountains on sidewalks tapped into hydrants, modeled after similar innovations in other cities, including several in Canada.
"It's time for New York City to take a big gulp of progress and quench the thirst of our people. Let's put water bottle refilling stations at fire hydrants all across New York City," Councilmember Erik Bottcher said.
Bottcher just introduced the new legislation with the blessing of Nyah Estevez, a community organizer for the group Beyond Plastics.
"The water you drink from your faucet is the same water that you get from a fire hydrant," Estevez said.
"So if I could open that [hydrant] up right now and put a reusable container under it, you'd drink it?" CBS New York's Dave Carlin asked.
"Yes," Estevez said.
"Part of the idea of is getting rid of the single-use plastics," said Rob Frier, founder of the nonprofit Less Plastics Now.
Frier is rarely without his water bottle, but refilling it while out and about is challenging.
"I tried to refill it in Penn Station, and I looked and looked and looked, and there was nowhere to refill a water bottle at Penn Station," he said.
Retrofitted hydrants could cut down on environmentally unfriendly plastic bottles and unhealthy sugary drinks.
So if this idea gets approved, what will the fountains attached to the hydrants look like? The city will hold a design contest.
The City Department of Environmental Protection would partner with FDNY on this.
Some New Yorkers worry the fountains might get filthy.
"Maybe putting their mouth on it or using the restroom on it or something," Midtown resident Benjamin Simic said.
Upkeep and monitoring would be part of the plan, said Bottcher, who wants everyone to go with this flow for drinking water that is clean and convenient.
Next steps include a financial report and public hearings. If approved, the new fountains would be up and running within two years.